What Changes and What Does Not
by luvsanime02
Summary: One-shot. Some things change but some do not.


**Disclaimer:** Not mine. The HP world belongs to Rowling.

**AN:** Rated K+ for minor violence. Also, in case anyone's interested, Helluin is an Ancient Egyptian word for blue flame/fire. Considering the circumstances, I felt it was appropriate to use. (Edited 12.2013)

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**What Changes and What Does Not** by luvsanime02

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Blood pounds in his ears, but even through that, through the blurry sound of curses bellowed in a disjointed rhythm and the very walls cracked from spells, Bill turns sharply at the quick cry that comes from behind him. Amidst the brutal battle that encompasses the tower and surrounding corridors, he instinctively recognizes his little sister's voice.

A flicker of purple on the edge of his vision, and then Professor Flitwick's body catches him in the chest and forcefully expels all of the air from his lungs. Bill sucks in a shallow breath, and then another, regains his senses enough to roll into a crouch, wand up, and only then glances down. The diminutive man's left arm has a deep gash that oozes blood, and he's unconscious.

No time to check him. Antonin Dolohov races forward and they duel. Bill gets in a _Diffindo_, and feels a rush of satisfaction at the deluge of blood that spurts from Dolohov's leg as a result. The man roars and starts to lift his arm for his signature Flame Curse – a funeral, two coffins, and his mother sobbing onto his father's shoulder quickly flashes through his mind – before Bill strikes with his own _Reducto_. The Death Eater flies back down the hallway and crashes into the opposite wall.

Bill turns as he remembers Ginny, and sees her quite near him as she faces her own attacker. Thorfinn Rowle's _Avada Kedavra _misses her by _centimetres_, and Bill swears as he dives out of the way of the curse. An _Impedimenta _hurriedly leaves his mouth. He doesn't really care which of the combatants his jinx hits, and is satisfied when Ginny falls slowly to the side. Another curse passes where she had been a second before. Bill sees Tonks move towards Rowle to resume the fight and leaves her to it. He rushes to the tower itself, intending to break the ward on the bottom.

"_Specialis Revelio,_" he mutters, and sees the lines and colours of an original ward. The taint of Dark magic emits an aura he can taste in the back of his throat that's similar to blood, heavy with iron, and he grimaces as his wand steadily moves through complex patterns.

There's a shout behind him but he doesn't look, trusts that his companions are able to cover him. It is a few crucial seconds before he would have broken through the barrier that someone slams into him and pushes him sideways to the floor. Bill turns as he falls, twists in an effort to get his wand between himself and his attacker, but the weight is already gone. He looks up, and his throat runs dry.

Fenrir Greyback snarls less than a metre away from him. The man looks filthy and feral even without the full moon's power, his teeth and nails both sharp. His eyes flash with something Bill has never seen from Remus Lupin, a sadistic gleam. "Evenin', ginger."

A _Stupefy_ leaves Bill's wand and hits Greyback squarely in the chest, but the man barely flinches and instead laughs at the attempt. Bill's next curse is another _Diffindo_, but Greyback is already in the air and there is no one else near enough to help. His claws catch Bill first, and it feels like blue fire pours itself in lines across his face. His head smacks off the floor, and then there's the scent of rotting flesh in his nose before he feels teeth clamp down on his face and _yank _upwards.

His hand rises, and a silent _Helluin _flashes through his mind. There is heat and howls, and Bill's world slips into grey before everything eventually turns black.

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Someone lightly runs a finger down his nose, and Bill smiles before he thinks not to. He opens blurry eyes, and Fleur's lovely face is right there as she greets him tenderly. Bill remembers what happened, and he is not so foolish as to hope there is no lasting damage. Fleur gently kisses him, and suddenly he doesn't care. Her other hand firmly grips his own as she starts talking about the wedding, about his Aunt Muriel's tiara, and Bill cannot find the words to tell her how much he loves her. Instead, he raises their hands and lightly kisses the back of hers. She simply squeezes his hand in response and continues talking.

Later, Bill will have to ask her what happened after he passed out. His mother's cloak is on the back of a chair beside Fleur's, even though she is currently absent, and no doubt the rest of his family will show up once they hear that he is awake. Later, he will have to look into a mirror and come to terms with what Greyback did. He will be angry and upset, and bitter too, but for now, just for these few moments, Bill is utterly at peace.


End file.
